Autumn, 2015 Autumn, Al Ghanjah

Celebrations Cycle Tour Sunaysilah Fort New Era of CSR

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We continue to engage with the community, and to see and respect human gifts in all their forms. Foreword by the For those less fortunate, we reserve 1.5% of NIAT, Chief Executive Officer distributed under our innovative and expanding LNG Development Foudation (ODF). For the fortunately employed, we offer training, work openings, amenities to boost or ease production. For the less fortunate, logistical support in the form of equipment or mobility aids.

Moderated growth, supported by education, training, maximised potential of human and material resources. The core values that drive our company and country’s success are inextricably entwined.

I hope you enjoy reading this interesting edition of your magazine!

Harib Al Kitani In this 45th year of Oman’s Modern Renaissance, we Chief Executive Officer have indeed much to celebrate, both nationally and here at Oman LNG.

We have the good fortune to have HM Sultan Qaboos bin Said, a leader who launched one of the most successful Renaissance of the CONTENTS modern age, back home in good health. Our company has emerged stronger than ever from challenging times in the oil and gas market, at least Company News 2 in the pricing market. Welcome Back Your Majesty 6 Even more important to us at Oman LNG than the pricing market is the value of human life, and Oman Cycle Tour 10 we continue to uphold our safety record and to Sunaysilah Fort: A Historical Landmark 14 communicate the importance of safety through our staff, contractors, customers and to audiences Oman LNG Development Foundation: far beyond the company gates. Our objective is A New Age of Corporate Social Responsibility 17 Goal Zero, that is to say an enterprise that functions without disruption or injury. Company’s Activities 20

Al Ghanjah is produced quarterly by Oman LNG L.L.C. General Supervision: Nasser Al Kindi. For enquiries, please contact: Head of Publications and Media Relations, Oman LNG, P.O. Box 560, 116, Sultanate of Oman. Safety Day COMPANY NEWS

Themed “Achieving Goal Zero. No Harm. No Leaks”, Oman LNG’s Safety Day captured the belief that staff and contractors can operate smoothly and go home safely – every day. With an approximate participation of 800 staff and contractors, the day was a huge success.

The energy apparent throughout the day was an indication of how the safety culture is truly embedded in Oman LNG’s best safety and embraced by our employees and contractors and at record achieved the heart of everything we do.

The sessions were held at various locations across the company’s premises. Throughout the day, 14 event Oman LNG achieved 1,909 Lost Time Injury (LTI) Free leaders, of whom nine were from outside the company’s

Days – our best safety milestone ever! Our last safety Health, Safety and Environment team, volunteered to facilitate engagement sessions with staff and contractors record was in 2009 with 1,886 LTI-Free Days. It is the to reinforce the safety culture. vigilance, relentless efforts and dedication of our employees and contractors towards Goal Zero that have Safety Day is part of the company’s policy of nurturing a made this commendable safety highlight a reality and a strong safety culture among staff and contractors. moment to be proud of.

Sharing Opportunities at SQU Careers Fair

The first edition of the Careers Fair for Omani students

studying abroad organised by the Omani Students

2 Organisation at California State University, Long Beach,

California was held at the Exhibition Hall, Sultan Qaboos

University. The objective of the event was to tap into the

Omani talent studying abroad and give the students and graduates a clear idea of the employment and training opportunities Oman LNG has to offer.

transportation – to support their activities for the Mahmood Al-Hadidi, Head of Recruitment and local community. Resourcing, Oman LNG, shared insight into the company A 30-seater passenger bus will assist the Society in and the oil and gas business. He took time to explain organising various social activities for its members, while the range of possibilities available to enlighten the a 15-seater bus will help women and children to attend students of the various development opportunities OWA activities and events. the company provides.

preparing 30 Omanis for their future

Oman LNG and the Oman Society for Petroleum

Services (OPAL) agreed to fund training for 30 Omani

candidates. OPAL will facilitate and arrange the training

for the candidates who are assured of employment in

Bussing Care Providers to New Heights

The Omani Society for the Hearing Impaired and the Omani Woman’s Association (OWA) in Al Awabi received the delivery of buses – a much needed

3 the oil and gas industry once they complete the courses. Renowned for its fishing activities, Sur is believed to have

The training, lasting 6 months, will see that the candidates an estimated 3,000 inhabitants involved in the fish trade, receive monthly stipends throughout their schooling to often drawing buyers from locations outside South support their employment in the oil and gas sector. Sharqiyah Governorate.

Support for the Suri Oman LNG extends their fishing industry social responsibility and tourism portfolio

In two separate agreements signed, Oman LNG allocated over 600 thousand Omani Rials to support the construction of a harbour at Al Barr and a protective dam at Al Aija beach for the fishermen in Sur.

The first agreement will fund the construction of a port at Al Barr area in Sur, which will allow fishermen to unload their daily catch more easily. The second is aimed at supporting the construction of a walkway and a dam

1,200 metres long and six metres wide in the north side As part of its corporate social responsibility efforts, of Al Aija, Sur. Oman LNG signed three pacts aimed at assisting the

visually challenged and supporting the Public Authority

for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA) in its relentless

efforts to save and protect civilians.

As part of a partnership with the Al Noor Association for

the Blind in Sur, the company funded the purchase of

numerous braille sense devices and recently carried out

a braille training programme in Sur.

4 At the close of the training, Oman LNG donated the This relief comes under the auspices of an agreement braille devices to the participants who had been using signed between Oman LNG and the Oman Association the devices throughout the training. for the Disabled.

The second agreement will see that a four wheel drive vehicle is purchased for Al Noor Association for the Blind in Al Dakhliya Governorate. The vehicle will further assist giving paper new life the Association in organising various social activities for its members. The pact was signed by Mr. Mohammed bin

Adeem Al Subaihi, Chairman of Al Noor Association for Oman LNG, in cooperation with Al Rahma Charity Team, the Blind in Al Dakhliya Governorate. recently introduced a paper recycling bin at its Head Office at Airport Heights. The third accord, worth 118,000 OMR, signed by

Brigadier Mubarak bin Juma Al Ghailani, Director-

General of Civil Defence, will support the purchase of two 5000 gallon water trucks for the Public Authority The initiative is two-pronged for Civil Defence and Ambulance in Sur. and aims to raise awareness about the importance of recycling while simultaneously Providing relief to 900 supporting less fortunate physically challenged families. Proceeds from the sale of the recycled materials

Over 900 people living with disabilities across the will be donated to Sultanate will soon receive some respite through modern Al Rahma Charity Team to medical equipment to bring more comfort to their lives. support less fortunate families. 273,200 OMR has been allocated towards the Oman

Association for the Disabled to procure 905 various devices comprising 595 wheelchairs, 60 hearing aids, If successful, the pilot scheme will be extended to 50 electric beds and mattresses, 100 commode chairs Oman LNG’s premises in Sur, further illustrating the and a further 100 air cushions. company’s commitment to contribute to our community.

5 Welcome Back Your Majesty

The jubilation that spread like a wave through Oman on 23 March 2015 began in silent anticipation. TV audiences across the country watched intently as the doors of the Royal aircraft opened and His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, returning from 8 months of medical treatment in , emerged walking down the steps and across the carpeted tarmac.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of Sultan Qaboos’ vision of Oman’s modern Renaissance. That vision has been carefully manifested, step by step, to create the transformed country we live in today. The values that have paved our country’s path to a higher, more enlightened destiny are national unity, knowledge through education, and a culture that fosters tolerance, fairness and human rights.

6 These values are not obtainable without hard work; the binding factor that brings the whole together. His Majesty has called on youth to ‘remember that work, as much as it is a right, is a duty also.’ Today, with many of those original aspirations achieved, the task of providing work is shifting from the State to the private sector.

Tolerance is at the heart, of Oman’s approach giving it a unique role in a turbulent world. ‘Our main policy is non-interference in the affairs of other states… Our foreign policy is based on firm foundations and principles, support for right and justice, and a desire to work together with other peace-loving countries of the world…through dialogue and negotiation.’ (HM Sultan Qaboos, 14 November 2006).

Early Studies Sultan Qaboos bin Said, born in Salalah on 18 November 1940, received his early schooling in Oman before being complete his education in England. Two years at private sent by his father, the late Sultan Said bin Taimur, to schools in Suffolk were followed by officer training at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and a posting to a military regiment in Germany. Studies in leadership and local government prepared him for his future role. Finally, on completing a 3-month world tour encouraged by his father, His Majesty returned to Oman in 1964 and settled in Salalah, immersing himself in the study of Islamic shari’a, as well as the history and culture of Oman.

His Majesty’s interests His Majesty is an avid reader and book-lover, with a well-stocked library of rare and contemporary works. His particular love of Arabic science and learning of religion, astronomy, heritage and nature, have found practical expression in the strong support he freely offers to so many cultural projects, both at home and abroad, as well as all endeavours that highlight and promote tolerance in .

This passion for the arts encompasses a deep love for music in its diverse expressions, from traditional to opera. In 1991 he completed a project, the scholarly Encyclopaedia of Arab names.

His Majesty manages to balance a genuine need to interact with his people with a lifelong passion for horses and purebred Arabian racing camels, hard work, a love of people and of nature, curiosity, knowledge and creativity.

7

The Journey

90% 3000+ 14M

Omanisation – Active social Hours without a Oman LNG remains a investment programmes Lost-Time Injury (LTI). forerunner in attracting Oman LNG is managing. and retaining the best talent.

58 76 130M

Employees sponsored Employees on courses US$ - invested in social by the company to obtain professional investment projects and initiatives for higher education. qualifications, thanks to across the country. company sponsorship.

99% 567 2015

Reliability Total LNG staff count. Best safety of trains. milestone achieved.

Information given is data from June 2015

www.omanlng.com

9 Oman Cycle Tour

By James White

Jebel Al Akhdhar or the Green Mountain. It is late on Day and the contestants will likely not be taking in the majestic Four, Stage Four of the Tour of Oman, and we are about views of the plain below – at least not until the red jersey to see the true heroes begin to detach from the silver has been drawn over exhausted shoulders at the day’s thread of overlapping wheels that whirr past the village of finishing line. But they are nonetheless spectacular. Birkat Al Mouz to enter the gruelling last 5.7 kms of And it is a perfect day for cycling. the day. With over 180 kms already behind them since The ascent snakes up the mountain in a series of they swept inland from the morning’s start at the hairpin bends. Although steep, the road is broad and Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, the toughest test arrives well surfaced. This is the stretch that has brought every abruptly, at an impossibly steep initial gradient of 20%, Tour de winner of recent times to sign up for the later to fall off somewhat, then rise again for an average Omani race and today’s winner will stand a very good over the final kilometres of 10.6%. This is serious climbing, chance of taking away the ultimate prize. And so indeed

James White is a freelancer writer and photographer based in Southampton, England, a PhD in plant conservation biology.

10 it was to turn out, when Stage Four winner of went on to win the Tour of Oman 2015 two days later on 23 February, notching up his best win of what is shaping up to be a very promising career. His previous best performance was a third-place finish at the 2010 Tour de San Luis in Argentina.

Valls’ triumph was aided largely by the controversial events of the Fifth Stage, which had to be abandoned after a stop-start drama due to inopportune weather conditions. Oman was hit by a sandstorm during that same week, and extreme heat added to the riders’ woes, forcing them to protest and abandon the course. But as if to be true to its reputation, that ill wind set the stage for the manifestation of Valls’ subsequent victory. “These have been three dream days,” he said, “and this is the apotheosis.”

Although still in its infancy, the Tour of Oman has quickly become a crucial season-starter event for the world’s leading riders in the build-up to the Tour de France - world cycling’s most storied competition - and the two other Grand Tour meets. It is organised jointly by the Amaury Sports Organisation (which conducts the Tour de France), Muscat Municipality and Paumer, with former legendary cyclist playing the leading role as an organiser.

This year’s Tour was the longest so far, at 984 kms, and showcased much of the variety of the Omani landscape, from windswept coastline to the mountains inland and the flat and undulating plains between. The six-stage race offers riders a tricky mix of straightforward sprint races and some tough climbs up the scenic and twisty, rocky mountains.

Oman’s challenging terrain has long been a draw for professional cyclists looking for a month or two of sunshine and practice away from Europe’s biting winter season. Eddy Merckx has himself described the Jebel Al Akhdhar challenge as the best preparation for the

11 Tour de France, and indeed it has proved an effective prize. Iran itself bagged the 2013-14 trophy for top early path to glory for many top Grand Tour names. nation, while Tabriz Petrochemical is the defending team category champion. Yet it wasn’t until 2010 that this recognition and the country’s spectacular sights and sounds convinced The UCI Asia Tour begins at the start of February every year the UCI Asian Tour to make Oman a permanent annual and concludes by mid-December. The season-starting stopover with the six-stage Tour of Oman, which is competition is the Tour de Filipinas in the Philippines classified as a 2.HC event and is already six editions old. and the season concludes with the Tour of Al Zubarah in Qatar. The Tour of Oman is the sixth race on the UCI Asia The inaugural race in 2010 was won by Swiss rider Tour. It comes shortly after the Dubai Tour, the Tour of of Team Saxo Bank. The following year, Qatar and a pair of Asian Cycling Championships. Dutch cyclist of Rabobank took home the crown. In 2012, it was the turn of Slovakian rider Peter Later down the year, UAE hosts two more UCI Asia Tour Velits of Omega Pharma-Quick Step to take the honours, meets, the Abu Dhabi Tour and the Sharjah Cycling Tour; and the following two years, Froome took the centre and Qatar hosts the season-ending Tour of Al Zubarah. stage. Until Valls stepped in to wrest the initiative in 2015. STEPPING STONE FOR GRAND TOURS OMAN AND THE ASIAN SCENE The UCI Asia Tour events, like the popular Tour of The Tour of Oman is a major competition on the calendar Oman, are approached by numerous top-rated cyclists of the UCI Asia Tour, which is part of the UCI’s Continental as stepping stones or dress rehearsals for the ultimate Circuits. These circuits were recognised under one circuit in world cycling - the UCI World Tour. The top umbrella and integrated into a common ranking system circuit includes the three Grand Tours, cycling’s topmost in 2005 by the International Cycling Union (UCI). competitions, and around 25 competitions that are held The Asia Tour is joined by four other continental circuits all over the world. - Africa, the Americas, Europe and Oceania - but they are The Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a all classified as one step below the UCI World Tour events, Espana are the three coveted Grand Tours, and ever since which form the highest circuit. the launch of the Tour of Oman, riders who are regulars Iran’s Samad Pourseyedi of Tabriz Petrochemical Team and top-finishers in the Grand Tours make it a point not won the last edition of the UCI Asia Tour’s individual to give the Oman trip a miss.

12 Scorching win for Valls

Top Spanish rider Rafael Valls capped off yet another exhilarating edition of the Tour of Oman cycling extravaganza when he wrapped up a confident victory at the 2015 edition on 22 February.

The six days of pulsating action came to an end with a sprint finish at the picturesque Muttrah Corniche in the Omani capital’s most popular seaside neighbourhood. The opportunistic Valls, who rides for Lampre-Merida, stayed calm and collected to ensure he took the overall honours, while ace Austrian cyclist Matthias Brandle of IAM Cycling emerged champion in the sixth and concluding stage.

Brandle was the highlight of a memorable finish to the six-stage contest. He escaped from the peloton early in the day along with Team Sky’s Danny Pate, Etixx- Quick-Step’s Iljo Keisse and Topsport Vlaanderen- Baloise’s Jef van Meirhaeghe, and then took off on his own in the closing couple of kilometres and won by a telling four-second margin as the others in the bunch jostled for initiative.

Belgium’s Keisse finished second in the sixth stage, while his compatriot Van Meirhaeghe and Pate followed a handful of seconds later in third and fourth place, respectively.

The points competition was won by Italian rider Andrea Guardini (Astana), who also won the first stage of the race. ’s (MTN-Qhubeka) was the best young rider, while Van Meirhaeghe won the prize for the most aggressive rider after participating in the breakaway on every stage of the race. BMC Racing was the winner of the team classification title.

A key missing element at the 2015 edition was 2013 Tour de France champion , who had won the Tour of Oman in 2013 and 2014. The British-Kenyan rider of Team Sky skipped the Oman trip this year and instead opted for the equally competitive Ruta del Sol in Andalusia, Spain, as part of preparations for this year’s Tour de France.

13 SUNAYSILAH FORT A Historical Landmark

Introducing Modernity with History Sur has at various times in its history been a prominent regional gateway port, with Sunaysilah Castle as the High above the handsome ancient trading port of Sur, centrepiece of Sur’s defensive system, its massive bulk a four circular towers mark the classic square outline of powerful deterrent to sea-borne raiders. Built some 300 Sunaysilah Castle, standing quietly watchful over city and years ago, the settlement it guarded was by then already shore. Today no cannons peek threateningly out from the more than a thousand years old, having traded extensively gunslits. Instead, curious visitors climb to the top of the with as early as the 6th century. towers for a panoramic view of the town and harbour, or rest in the internal courtyard and ponder the illustrious, and The strategically placed castle has now become the sometimes turbulent, history of this place. fortunate beneficiary of Oman LNG’s contribution to

14 country, community and culture. When the restoration course Al-Ayjah Fort had an exclusively military function, project currently ongoing at the site is complete, the as did its several associated watchtowers. complex will have gained a protected surrounding And yet the overall effect of all of this defensive walkway, parking and reception areas and ancillary architecture in a medium-sized population centre is buildings with facilities for VIP guests. not aggressive. Rather, it lends solidity and calm to The main focus of the project will, of course, be the the town, in the manner of benevolent architectural expansion of its internal amphitheatre to 338m2, turning grandparents. it into a perfect arena for atmospheric cultural events. In its second major heyday, under the Yaruba Imams, The Ministry of Tourism is partnering the venture and will Sur once again became Oman’s pre-eminent port for be anxious to see a tourism payoff to the investment. But the trade with East Africa and beyond. From the 17th to given the magnificent setting and the popularity of Sur the 19th century, when Oman was a major Asian naval as a destination, that payoff will not be long forthcoming power, as many as 400 ships might be found anchored and is likely to be a rewarding one. in the city’s broad lagoon at any one time, while dhows Forts, castles and towers are evocative of Oman. Of the built in Sur itself rode the monsoon winds eastwards to hundreds of these impressive buildings that decorate , Ceylon and . Defence was more crucial than the landscape many, like Sunaysilah, dominate from ever. Those were the glory days of Sunaysilah, when high positions. To the occupants and townspeople – its towers bristled with guns and its courtyard bustled as well as the intruder – they represented deterrence, with activity. defence, authority, refuge, connection with history, with And now Sur is reinventing itself, as a picturesque tourist the past. Whoever controlled them controlled the land, hub and regional centre. The old enterprising spirit that population and resources. And Sur has been in some of has sustained this well-placed natural harbour on the its various incarnations a very wealthy city, with much Gulf of Oman for millennia still flows in its veins. It is still to defend. a major fishing port and undisputed master of the dhow- Sunaysilah is not the only castle in Sur. The larger Bilad building craft, which is thriving with new clients from the Sur Castle is on lower ground, its defensive function leisure industry. Tim Severin built the Sindbad here, in more focused on possible attack from the interior. And of the reputed city of Sindbad himself, using boat-builders

15 and later crew from Sur while cruise liners dock on the The Turtle Reserve was established by a Royal Decree in outskirts of the town. 1996 and the Turtle Centre was established in 2008 with funding from Oman LNG. Already it attracts thousands The restoration of Sunaysilah is not Oman LNG’s first or only restoration project in the locality. It is already of scientists and tourists from all over the world involved in several significant restoration projects, every year. including the Bibi Miriam monument. Oil and gas have helped fund much of Oman’s modern One of the most exciting of its existing joint projects Renaissance, and gas is now funding the transition to with the Ministry of Tourism is the multi-million dollar a service-oriented economy, at the heart of which lies scientific research centre at Ras al-Jinz, with its mission tourism. Sur has been lucky in this respect, thanks in to create a safe nesting environment for the threatened great measure to the nearby presence of Oman LNG. green-sea turtle (Chelonia mydas). Ras al-Jinz beach In the drowsy heat of mid-afternoon, the old town has is world renowned and probably the most important a timeless air, resting peacefully beneath the sleeping nesting concentration of green turtles on the Indian giant above. But Sur is wide awake to the opportunities Ocean. And it is the only place where the public can st observe the nesting process of these amazing sea giants of the 21 century and, resourceful as ever, always ready at close quarters. to adapt.

16 Oman LNG Development Foundation: A New Age of Corporate Social Responsibility

Since its inception, Oman LNG has placed significant emphasis on contributing to the growth and development of Oman and its people in various aspects; not least its vigorous Social Investment Programme.

In order to further strengthen its robust Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts with more focus and prominence, Oman LNG Board of Directors decided to establish a separate legal Foundation back in 2009.

1st July 2015 marked the operational start-up of Oman LNG Development Foundation. The establishment of Oman LNG Development Foundation will not just provide financial support for projects, initiatives and programmes for the benefit of the Omani society; it will also act as Oman’s largest CSR centre of excellence that will in turn act as a role model for sustainable social investment in the Sultanate.

17 About Us The newly established Oman LNG Development Foundation will invest 1.5% of Oman LNG’s net income In 2009, Oman LNG LLC reviewed its pioneering Social after tax (NIAT) as its contribution to sustainable social Investment Programme and made the decision to development programmes. The Foundation will be in a upgrade. The programme was already well established better place to conduct the necessary studies to serve and had an outreach that extended to the furthest the advancement of communities, while maintaining corners of the Sultanate. Its goal was to give depth and existing levels of support, previously established detail to the company’s overall policy of contributing to within the framework of Oman LNG’s Corporate Social the socio-economic development of the country. Responsibility (CSR) policy. A significant milestone was reached in 2011 when the Our Objectives Cabinet of Ministers approved the company’s request The objectives of the Foundation are to provide financial to establish a social development foundation. Later, support to programmes, initiatives and schemes aimed a Ministerial Decision was issued, approving the at benefiting and advancing Omani society. They will creation of Oman LNG Development Foundation, while focus on the following areas: outlining and detailing the mandate and proposed business activities of the organisation. This license • Infrastructure development to operate was the first of its kind issued to an • Human resources development Omani company. (training and education)

18 • Health, Safety and Environmental awareness Vision initiatives and training programmes To create a sustainable income stream and provide financial • Heritage and culture support for projects, initiatives and programmes that benefit the local community where Oman LNG operates, as • Sports and other youth development activities well as in other governorates throughout the Sultanate. • Charity and other CSR activities (including Mission government recommendations) as agreed by the • To become a role model for CSR globally and make Board of Directors Omanis proud of their contribution In addition, the Foundation will conduct the necessary • To create a new concept in CSR (income/sustainability) studies to serve and develop society. Meanwhile existing in the Sultanate levels of support, as established under Oman LNG’s CSR • To assume a pioneering role as a sustainable CSR policy and exercised in communities across the country Foundation and to advance the overall image/brand as well as Sur, will be maintained. of Oman LNG and its shareholders

19 اليوم ال�سنوي لل�شركة العمانية للغاز الطبيعي ُامل�سال Oman LNG Day فعاليات رم�ضان لل�شركة العمانية للغاز الطبيعي امل�سال – الغازي 2015 Oman LNG Ramadhan Activities – Al Ghazi 2015